Fuller, Grove weigh in on Gov. Brown’s 2014 budget revision

Gov. Jerry Brown’s May revision of his proposed 2014 fiscal year budget earned mostly early positive marks from various lawmakers.

By Jack Barnwelljbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Gov. Jerry Brown’s May revision of his proposed 2014 fiscal year budget earned mostly early positive marks from various lawmakers.Brown released his budget Tuesday, in which he scaled back his projections for the FY 2014 to a general fund spending of $96.4 billion – a $1.3 billion reduction from $97.7 billion he proposed in January.Brown’s major highlights for the budget included $1 billion to jumpstart the transition “common core” educational transition, and an overall $1.9 billion increase in K-12 funding for FY 2014.However, while Brown said revenue still remained strong, likely due to the state sales tax increase and the increase in income tax for the state’s high earners under Prop. 30, he cautioned the state legislature trying to create new taxes.This earned some praise from state lawmakers.Republican state Sen. Jean Fuller (Bakersfield), was cautiously optimistic of the revised budget.“The Governor and I share common ground in a number of areas,” Fuller said in a statement Tuesday. “First, he made clear that he opposes new taxes in order to fund new spending. We also share views on allocating education funds and promoting energy development.”Fuller said California schools “should benefit from a new funding formula that is more flexible in meeting local needs.”She also commended Brown on his approach to handling energy industry practices. Brown in his presentation Tuesday said he would want to take a cautious approach to the energy industry.“I am pleased that he addressed energy industry practices that lead to jobs for our workforce and contribute the funds necessary to pay for existing state programs,” Fuller said.However, Fuller said the budget fell short when addressing the influx of prisoners to county control under the prison realignment act. Brown’s revision included an additional $72 million in FY 2014 for county probation departments.“However, with an increase in violent and property crimes in most large California cities this year, the largest such increase in 20 years, the Administration should have included additional funds to counties for front-line law enforcement and county jail operations,” Fuller stated.” SB 144, a bill I co-authored, would have provided such additional funding, but was voted down by the majority party last month.”Assembly Speaker John Perez (Los Angeles - D) called the revised budget plan another milestone.“We appreciate the Governor’s commitment to maintaining the fiscal stability that has come from an improving economy, legislative Democrats making tough but necessary budget cuts, voters approving the majority-vote budget and voters standing with Democrats in supporting temporary tax revenue,” Perez said in a statement Tuesday.Perez said the Assembly would continue to study the projections provided by both the administration and the California Legislative Analyst’s Office and work with them accordingly to see how it fared with the Assembly’s vision.“On the whole, the Governor’s framework and the Assembly’s Blueprint seem to track well, and we’ll spend the next month reconciling our priorities,” Perez said.California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a close Brown ally, however, expressed some disappointment in the governor’s strategy. “It’s important that we also begin making up for some of the damage done to tens of thousands of Californians,” Steinberg said Tuesday. “It’s important that we also begin making up for some of the damage done to tens of thousands of Californians.”Fuller herself held out hope the state supermajority itself followed Brown’s lead in being cautious.“It is my hope that government elected officials use tax dollars efficiently and with restraint, especially at a time of slow economic growth,” Fuller said. “Instead of doing many things inadequately, we must meet our commitment to Californians in governing where we can, competently and capably.” Assemblywoman Shannon Grove (Bakersfield – R) issued a statement Wednesday saying while she appreciated the governor’s restraint, his estimates had to be lowered because of California’s slower-than-projected growth.“Oppressive regulations continue to drive jobs out of state, but the democrats in the legislature just keep passing bills that increase the cost of doing business and the Governor keeps signing them into law,” Grove stated. “This failure to address or even acknowledge the problems behind the state’s sluggish economic recovery is inexcusable.”Grove called on the administration to focus on cutting unnecessary and costly public programs and “rework looming fiscal pressures like the state’s unfunded pension liabilities” still looming in the background.“Governing any other way would be an insult to the voters who expect Sacramento to live within its means,” Grove stated.